[finders] Top Ten Reasons Why I Love My Treo

[finders at findability.org]

October 5, 2005: Top Ten Reasons Why I Love My Treo

http://www.findability.org/archives/000053.php

As I've written before, I have never been an early adopter. I'm more of a
skeptical, fast-following frugalist. And, when I did finally succumb in the
late 90s to the lure of a Palm Pilot, I found it to be worse than useless.

So, it was quite difficult for me last year to commit $350 upfront plus $90
a month for a Treo 600 Smartphone. I cost-justified it (to myself) as an
authorial investment. After all, how could I write a book about ambient
findability without one? But now, a year later, I'm absolutely hooked.

So, in gratitude, here are the top ten reasons why I love my Treo:

1. I can check email at home without my wife catching me (usually).

2. I can synchronize with my MS Outlook Calendar and Contacts. This means
that from anywhere at anytime, I can check where I'm supposed to be, and
then call ahead to let them know I'll be late.

3. I can surf the Web and post articles to my blog while lying on the beach.

4. Thanks to my Atari Retro card, I can play Adventure, Asteroids, Breakout,
Centipede, Missile Command, Pong, and Yar's Revenge while pretending to
check email.

5. I can call my friends and family at work while I'm hiking in Yosemite.

6. It's a great-sounding MP3 player.

7. It's way sexier than an iPod. Well, at least it's more intelligent and
has a better personality.

8. I can email reminders to myself, so I can forget about important tasks
until I check email.

9. While performing serious academic research in libraries, I can photograph
the relevant pages of books, so I don't have to wait in line to use the
photocopier.

10. I can check email while driving. This also belongs in the top ten
reasons why I hate my Treo, but that's another list.

Anyway, I'm happy with my Treo 600, and I don't plan to upgrade until they
release one with an embedded GPS, so I can use Google Maps to navigate in
real-time (but not while driving).